James Gunn Is Considering A Return For ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ may still be a month and a half away from release, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start thinking about ‘Guardians 3′. That may sound ludicrously premature, but between the success of the first film, the hype surrounding the second, and the overall success of Marvel Studios’ efforts to date, a sequel is virtually assured to happen sooner or later. In fact, Marvel has acknowledged as much, with studio head Kevin Feige suggesting that a third ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ outing would ideally come early in the fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The big question at this stage is writer/director James Gunn. With the completion of ‘Guardians 2’, Gunn finds himself in much the same position as Joss Whedon was following the release of ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’. That is to say, he has already dedicated enough of his life to these movies that, as disappointing as it might be, no one would be surprised if he thought the time was right to walk away from the property.

But was does Gunn have to say on the subject? In a recent interview with Complex, the director both confirmed that a third film is happening offered this update on his involvement:

“There will be a ‘Guardians 3’, that’s for sure. We’re trying to figure it out. I’m trying to figure out what I want to do really, that’s all it is. I got to figure out where I want to be, what I want to spend the next three years of my life doing. You know, I’m going to make another big movie; is it the Guardians or something else? I’m just going to figure it out over the next couple of weeks.”

In essence, while a third ‘Guardians’ film is unquestionably on Marvel’s radar (and they would no doubt like to begin work on it sooner rather than later), no decision has been made regarding James Gunn’s involvement. However, based on Gunn’s remarks, that decision will likely be made in the near future. Depending on how close to the vest Marvel wants to play it, it would not be surprising if an official announcement was made sometime this summer.